Social media in public service: ideas for the Capital Fund at LocalGovCamp

LocalGovCamp was fantastic – interesting people, interesting methods. Dave Briggs has started rounding up the related online resources, so I won’t go into depth here – but a little feedback from the sessions Ingrid and I ran.

We were (ARE) looking for ideas: CLG’s Efficiency and Transformation Capital Fund potentially includes some significant funding for innovative and effective social media projects. The ‘only’ criteria are that projects can roll out quickly, achieve real outcomes against local priorities (as set out in Local Area Agreements), be scaleable and applicable across authorities, promote empowerment, link to the Total Place approach as that develops…!

But don’t be disheartened – we need to gather as many innovative ideas as possible, then assess them against criteria and build business cases. Here are the ideas we collected on Saturday – poorly paraphrased by me (under certain pressure). I’ve had to leave them anonymous for now – sorry, but will be sharing fuller info as soon as possible, and tidying everything up. PLEASE add any more ideas, views, comments. And thanks to everyone who participated – let us know what you’re thinking now!

Personalised travel plans Inputs: postcodes (home), travel questionnaire, key destinations (sport centres, GP/holidays, schools, offices) Map open data using maps (Google, Virtual Earth), no personal data (user searches by postcode) To show travel density (affecting service planning), money saved, calories burned, transport efficiency Contributes to meeting NIs 186 and 56

Signpostr network encouraging graduates to help each other start projects and live reasonably

Promoting positive activities for young people (NI117 and 112) Project underway with some help from Plings and Radiowaves Funding would allow development of tailored local searching on Radiowaves, and tagging of good/bad events

Creating a community hub Training local volunteers to train citizens in social media, and building a network for the community In some areas of Lewisham there is very little online activity (project already worked up, looking for funding)

Councillors’ expenses Published online in transparent, commentable form

Online/offline hubs Existing communities (arts centres, clubs) supported to become online/offline hubs Build sites to integrate social media streams – Twitter, Flickr, Youtube etc Teach digital involvement – share with other existing communities, build links

Sheparding change – Tamagotchi meets consultation Engagement/measurement in youth consultation – develop apps to add to young peoples’ profiles (Bebo, Facebook). Virtual pets bounce when they want attention – ie when the council is consulting – link to a page gathering views and feeding back. Use to drive teens involvement in positive activities. See http://twitpic.com/85749 and http://twitpic.com/857a9

Reaching out Increase use of social media in remote communities – ‘virtual community hub and forum’

Chief Executive blogs Support and encourage, disseminate successful examples

Managing social media use Standard code of practice for local government

Social media and CRM

Direct communication Help officers communicate more effectively with citizens – eg setting expectations

Trending needs Map citizen needs – establish what is trending up and down

Apply free tools Encourage (through authorities) school PTAs to set up community messageboards, with two-side guidance and toolkit, and encouraging local digital mentoring and moderation

Councillors online Skills and kit for local councillors and mentoring Support development of online surgeries, blogging surgeries, sharing outcomes etc

Local government social media forum

Local video Youtube campaigns bringing community into vids – eg q+a with teen mums to educate on teen pregnancy issues People educating each other! Subtitled!

Knowledge Fund qualitative research on social media use in local government (eg like LGEO research) which is open and available

Talent trading marketplace Reinvent how to measure skills and trade – create a flexible, time-based marketplace eg retired neighbour to put up shelf for single mothers, sharing of planning application skills

Stop smoking – SMS support Support by SMS now live in Great Yarmouth and Waveney

Stop smoking – online support Twitter service for advice and immediate support for those stopping smoking

Network support to specific communities Online social network to support dementia sufferers and their carers delivering the peer support priority of the dementia strategy

Tenant engagement Housing association currently planning tenant (and staff) engagement and culture change programme – need for internal marketing = opportunity for range of social media

Planning for parish councils Our parish council currently need to engage community before Autumn 09 to define desires – to then define budget against. Using newsletter, website, blog, community meeting – social media?

Twitterplan/planning alerts Existing project, needs funding to grow and enhance (new API, more scrapers)

HopHive Roll out local story/data from local gov to engage local people – create a platform that can scale – be able to source local issues and engage

Parish and town councils online Increase take up of training for local councillors – use social media to find out what they want – change the culture to training and learning

Parish and town councils online Increase community engagement – use social media for community surveys – council can deliver services the community wants and needs

Social council meetings (Dave Briggs’ aggregated model but for democratic meetings) Back channel on screen Submissions via Youtube, Twitter, Flickr, text Blogs on agenda items before, during and after council meetings We have costings, method etc worked out, and organisational buy in! We could start whenever!

Open local committees Use social media to bring people into local decision making, currently conducted at meetings with low participation, usual suspects

Youth engagement Build a model for listening to and engaging with the borough’s young people

Street champions Many authorities have already recruited street champions – opportunity for mobile chat and reporting

Partnership media hub Partners providing a more efficient, unified communications service

School closures Site that maps and communicates school closures (eg due to snow) – text, email, Twitter

Self directed care Deliver online information for self directed care to fulfil the universal information requirement of the transforming social care agenda and NI130

Rate my local service Take successful model used by FixMyStreet but for all local services – really drive customer insight on broad areas

e-petitions e-petitions online website for local authorities to be developed in partnership with MySociety (charity) to empower local people – same model as Number 10 petition site, scaled locally

Equality and diversity Create an E&D serious game – build capacity with groups to tackle NI10, delivered by councils’ learning platforms (DLE) so measurable

Micro social enterprise Support the development and incubation of micro social enterprises for hyperlocal social care (eg work for the old people on your road) by convening people online and providing support

Adult and child literacy programme Using recent graduates as tutors – online – and using social media, networking, resources to break down stigma

Research blog Support for independent research blog documenting work carried out by local gov for best practice, analysis and professional development

Crowdsourcing service providers Online register of independent care providers for self-funders, incorporating crowdsourced recommendations (tradesmen etc) – helping achieve NI130